


Paper Chains

by Cuthwyn



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Christmas Fluff, Gen, Learning to cope with arts and crafts, Not sure what else to put?, Post Christmas, mental health
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 18:58:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9198605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cuthwyn/pseuds/Cuthwyn
Summary: Damian is annoyed to find his wayward brother has cleared his safehouse of all Christmas decorations.The only reason he could think of is that Todd was being selfish as always and is running away ... again.Just once could the moron just suck it up and not be him for once?





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is short but I kinda like the snap shot feel to it?
> 
> Just something I wrote over the Christmas period ... whilst staring at paper chains.
> 
> I promise I am still writing my other stories!

It was December 27th.  
The Christmas haze was starting to clear but the celebrations of the holiday period were still evident wherever you looked.  
Trudging threw the slushy snow, Damian frowned at the small, bare Christmas Tree by the bins outside his brother's safe house. He hadn't gone into town with the intention of visiting his insane older brother, he only left the manor yesterday, but the abandoned tree, was cause for concern. It was well known that Todd was a flight risk, disappearing off the face of the earth at a moments notice, after all, how else did someone self-discharge from Arkham?  
The holiday period had been fairly mediocre compared to the norm. Only a few small heists had disrupted the celebrations and the family had actually spent Christmas together with only a handful of incidents. It had been the most stable Christmas Damian had ever had and Jason Todd deciding upset everyone so soon afterwards was not to be allowed.  
Sticking his chin defiantly in the air, Damian started to climb the fire escape to his brother's apartment to have it out with him. Completely baffled at how selfish the moron could be.

Hauling up a window that had once had Christmas cards stuck to it, Damian stepped inside. By his feet were said Christmas cards, shoved in a carrier bag, obviously about to be thrown away. He noticed the one on top, the delicate calligraphy of his father's handwriting, and his blood boiled. How dare that damn Bedlamite think he can do this and just get away with it.  
'Todd! Todd I demand you come here and speak with me this instant!' Damian hollered, glaring at the half undecorated living room.  
'You bellowed?'  
Came a familiar, gravelly voice and Damian turned to see Jason leaning against his bedroom door, lit cigarette in hand. For the last few days, Jason had looked like a half decent human being. Clean, shaved and his hair had looked like it had seen a comb. His jeans had no rips in them and he even wore a shirt and slacks on Christmas Day.  
Now he looked like a corpse who had been dragged out of the docks.  
His hair was a mess at best, stubble was starting to form a shadow on his chin and gone were the decent clothes. Instead, he was wearing a very old looking pair of yoga pants and a tatty hoodie, that obviously did not belong to him because Jason had never gone to Gotham University.  
'Tt. What happened to you? Forget how to dress properly and work a shower again Todd?'  
Groaning, Jason ran a weary hand across his face and shook his head.  
'I'm allowed a down day, Short Stuff. What dya want? I'm busy.'

'Busy? Doing what exactly Todd? Running away again? I shall not allow it.'  
Jason blinked at this and gave a hollow laugh, hauling a bin bag full of 'something' with him, he dumped it by the door and stared his little brother down, hands on his hips.  
'I'm not going anywhere. Nice to know you care though.'  
Damian frowned and looked around the apartment again, it did seem plausible that his brother wasn't going anywhere, the few personal belongings he had were still dotted about. It was just Christmas being packed up in bags and boxes.  
'But- but Grayson says Christmas is about family. This is not- what if Father came here to see his card thrown in the bin? Do you think of anyone but yourself?'  
'That's rich coming from you! Christmas is for family. I've done my part now it's going away.' Jason explained matter of factly. Leaving the bin bag by the door to start pulling down the umpteen million paper chains he had strewn all over the ceiling. Roy seemed to understand it but no one in the Batfamily did, they just sighed and tried not to get garrotted by them when visiting.  
'Christmas isn't for everyone.'  
Damian was getting more frustrated and confused as time went on. How on earth was Christmas for family? Grayson had told him so many times that Christmas was about family, cherishing each other, love? 

'If you hate Christmas so much Todd then why litter your safehouse with this confounded paper? Why even bother showing your face on Christmas Day with presents we all know you'd bought in the same shop? It was all lies. The smart clothes, the smile, it was all fake, like you. Maybe you should leave again.'  
Jason paused, before nodding slowly and slumping down the wall to sit on the floor, arms resting on his knees. He looked up at the paper chains and he sucked in his bottom lip, tears glistened in his eyes.  
'Yeah. Yeah you're right Damian. I lied. I hate Christmas. I hated going home to sit around the table with you all. For three days straight I had to sit and smile and act like I was fine. Pretend I was normal. That the lights didn't hurt, that the colours weren't too bright. That the bangs from the crackers, and the shouts and laughter didn't ricochet inside my head. That I didn't spend nearly every damn moment wanting to just run away and hide.' Sucking in a shaky breath, Jason lifted his head to look at Damian and shrugged a shoulder. 'Yeah, my presents were all bought from the same shop. I know it was crappy of me. I had a few bad days and never got around to internet shopping until it was too late. So I had to go to the mall. All the people pushing and shoving, talking and everything I-I can't do it. So I went in the nearest shop and forced myself to stay there until you all had a present. I hadda call Roy to come get me.'

The words hung heavy in air. Damian stood on the spot and just stared. Suddenly feeling very bad about his present off Jason. It had been a mug with a dog on it. He'd just scoffed and put it to one side, thinking his brother thoughtless.  
'But, that doesn't make any sense Todd? Why put yourself through all of that? I'm sure Father and Grayson would have understood if you just declined the invitation and sent a card?'  
Laughing, Jason shook his head and looked up at the paper chains he had spent almost a month making, at one point he had run out of Christmas paper and had used the Gotham Gazette.  
'You don't get it do you? Christmas is for family. The family want me to participate in the holiday, to come home, to open presents and laugh. I do it because it makes Dickie tear up, and Bruce smiles for once, Tim revels in being able to pull a cracker with me and you-'  
Pausing, Jason smiled slightly and looked up at his baby brother softly.  
'You enjoy pummelling me with snow balls. There's one time a year that I can make you all happy. For once not be the disappointment. I get through it making paper chains. I learnt it at Arkham, it's grounding and calms me down when it gets too much. Anyway, I'm rambling, look I have done everything that has been asked of me. Is it so awful that all I want to do now is have it all just go away and to just be forgotten about again?'

Swallowing, Damian looked up at the miles upon miles of paper chains, realising that they were in fact, a very physical representation of his big brother's distress. You could barely see the ceiling. Long rows twisting around and across each other, like Todd's thoughts.  
Grayson said that Christmas was about family, cherishing each other, love. That didn't seem quite right anymore. How was forcing his mentally ill brother to participate in a holiday that just made him feel bad, cherishing him? How was Todd working himself up to a panic attack in a shop over a few stupid presents, loving him?  
Then though, did anyone even realise? Damian found it absurd himself that everyone got so wrapped up in this so called Christmas spirit. Maybe everyone was so intent on creating the perfect Christmas, someone like his brother just got forgotten about.  
'Go squealing to anyone about it and you're dead.' Jason suddenly spat venomously, apparently only now realising that he'd spilled his guts to his little brother.  
Without a word the boy collected a chair, climbing onto it he began removing the paper chains carefully.  
'W-what are you doing?'  
'These need to come down, yes? I am helping you, Todd. I know this is an alien concept, but it is what people do. Please, at least try to keep up.' Damian explained as if he were talking to a five year old.  
Jason gaped at him for a moment, clearly wanting to quip back, before nodding and quickly moving to help.  
'Your presents were not crappy, Todd. I, myself used my mug this morning for my morning tea, thank you.' Damian informed him as if it meant nothing, noticing how Jason's eyes widened in surprise.  
'Thank you.' He mumbled, and Damian just sighed and put the last of the paper chains in the bin. Christmas had now officially left Jason Todd's apartment.

'Todd, it is customary for the recipient to offer thanks to the giver for their gift, not the other way around.' Damian scoffed with only slight exasperation, before tying up the bin bag and eyeing up his brother's bare feet. 'Put some footwear on Todd. I care little about what you choose to wear but I must insist you have something on your feet.'  
Jason frowned down at his toes and wiggled them thoughtfully.  
'Eh?'  
'I am working on the assumption that you have neglected to eat today. So go and put on some footwear and we shall go out for a late lunch. Do not worry, it shall not be a respectable establishment, maybe one of those diners you like. Now hurry up.' Damian practically commanded, waving towards his brother's bedroom just in case he had forgotten where it was. Watching the sorry excuse for a functioning adult follow his instructions without protest, Damian placed the rubbish next to the bag Jason had dumped by the door. Peering inside he paused and opened it, pulling out a jacket Grayson had given Todd last year. The entire bin bag was full of scarfs, socks, coats and woollen hats. All either belonged to his brother or had been given to him. The anger he had had before began to filter back.

'Why are you throwing these away?' Damian called out to his brother, who was hopping on one foot trying to shove his other foot into Roy's converse. It was best not to ask why. 'Grayson gave you this jacket?'  
'He gives me one every year, Damian. Those are for my kids. They aren't rubbish.' Jason explained and Damian paled significantly. The thought of Todd having kids was terrifying, was he like Father?  
'Not my kids as in mine, mine. I just, I help them out okay?'  
'The street kids?'  
Nodding, Jason finally succeeded in squeezing his feet into Roy's shoes and shoved on his jacket.  
'Yup. Like I said Christmas ain't for everyone. I never had Christmas as a kid and neither do these guys. This time of year is deadly without a warm coat like that one.'  
Damian lowered the jacket slowly back into the bin bag and picked up the actual rubbish.  
'We shall make sure the children get it then. Maybe we could purchase some food or maybe make a hot soup?'  
'Sure, if you wanna. No acting all rich kid through, it's weird.' Jason replied with a nonchalant shrug, opening the door he stomped out into the hallway.  
Staring after him, Damian looked back at his brother's living room. His thoughts on the Holidays and how despite every story, explanation he has heard and film he had seen, Todd seemed to portray the meaning behind it all more than anything else, yet no one seemed to know about it.  
'OY! Demonbrat? I thought you were getting me lunch?'


End file.
